“No good deed goes unpunished.” — Oscar Wilde, Irish poet and playwright Reading about the greatest Greeks in history, I came across Aristides “The Just,” and wondered how a military general and politician came to be recognized for his moral rectitude. Aristides, who lived between 530 – 468 BC, came to prominence as a strategos (general) who led Athens against...

In his Peace Studies class at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, Colman McCarthy engages students in his chosen religion: nonviolence and peace. “If peace is what every government says it seeks,” McCarthy writes, “and peace is the yearning of every heart, why aren’t we studying it and teaching it in school?” In Reverend McCarthy’s weekly sermon, “studying peace through nonviolence is...

Hope is not only the light that can be found at the end of the tunnel. It is also the light, faint and flickering, though it may be, that can help us navigate the darkness of our times.  – Archbishop Desmond TuTu I recently read two essays by Daisaku Ikda whose background as peacemaker, Buddhist philosopher and educator has been...

A recent story in Forbes magazine reports, “Some 56% of Republicans believe that QAnon, a far-right conspiracy theory, is mostly or partly true, according to a new Daily Kos/Civiqs poll released Wednesday…” Early in his campaign, Trump suggested that Ted Cruz’s father may be linked to the Kennedy assassination. How did he know? He read it in the “well respected”...

“To meet the challenge of our times… we must first defeat the enemy within.” —Robert F. Kennedy While Kennedy was addressing corruption in labor unions, he could have spoken those words today, given the multiple challenges we face: — A massive virus; unemployment; a struggling economy; companies struggling with new protections for workers and protocols for conducting business; attacks against...

Many are acquainted with Dan Piraro’s day job as an artist/satirist who tries to make sense of our world through his cartoon images. However, in real life, he’s a philosopher who motivates us to… are you sitting down… actually think. What has this got to do with ethics? During times of high-stress, we all need to be responsible for our...

Two points about leadership. Leadership is not a CEO, Admiral, Manager, Pope or President. Those are titles, not leadership. The second point, rather points, come from General Hal Moore: “We need leaders of principle, courage, character, wisdom, and discipline; and yet we seem trapped by a system of choosing our presidents that pushes those who possess those traits aside in...

Imagine a Country where everyone is respected Where human rights are basic rights A place where citizens work together Interconnected and interdependent, like a family.   Imagine a Nation whose greatest asset is diversity Where equal opportunity and individual freedom live Whose strength lies in faith and self-reliance A people that values its principles over its privileges.  » Read more about:...

I met Sarah Witmer at a meeting at The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation some time ago and, in looking through the non-profit’s website, came across a powerful speech she gave last year at an event for the organization. Sarah moved to Japan when she was 11-years old. “As I learned to speak Japanese,” she writes, “I was able to communicate...

“No nation, no society has ever changed this much, this fast. Now, before you start calling anyone bigoted, consider – and be honest – how would you feel if that happened in your neighborhood? Doesn’t matter how nice the immigrants are, they probably are nice… That’s not the point. The point is, this is more change than human beings are...